Miriam named to NIH’s AIDS Clinical Trials Group

PROVIDENCE – Researchers at the The Miriam Hospital’s Immunology Center will continue their groundbreaking work to improve treatment for patients infected with human immunovirus (HIV), thanks to a seven-year grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health.
Physicians and researchers at Miriam and The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University have been providing patients in southeastern New England with access to state-of-the-art clinical trials since 1996.
The new grant gives the hospital formal designation as a research site in the Harvard AIDS Clinical Trials Unit – a member of the NIH’s AIDS Clinical Trials Group – making Miriam an official participant in the world’s largest HIV clinical-trials organization. The ACTG plays a major role in setting standards of care for HIV and opportunistic infections in the United States and the developing world.
Dr. Karen Tashima – whom TheBody.com ranked among the nation’s Top 10 physicians for HIV care and research in 2005 – will continue to lead the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at Miriam.
Upcoming trials at the site are to include the evaluation of novel treatments for newly-diagnosed patients as well as for those with drug-resistant HIV. “Fortunately, there are more than three new outstanding medications that appear to be extremely effective against resistant HIV,” Tashima said.
The hospital also will host trials evaluating the effects of the FDA-approved human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine among women who are HIV-positive. “The HPV vaccine trial is extremely important because it could lead to improved prevention of cervical cancer within this specific population,” Tashima said. “Since individuals with HIV have compromised immune systems, they are at greater risk.”
Current HIV research programs that are slated to continue at Miriam include Dr. Susan Cu-Uvin’s project seeking to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the virus; Dr. Kenneth Mayer’s investigation of microbicides and other possible means of prevention; Dr. Jody Rich and Dr. Jennifer Mitty’s program combining substance-abuse treatment with HIV care; Dr. Michelle Lally’s exploration of barriers to HIV infection among teens, women and other vulnerable populations; Dr. E. Milu Kojik’s drive to increase cancer prevention efforts among the HIV-positive; and Dr. Awe Kwara’s research into management of HIV-tuberculosis co-infections.
The AIDS Clinical Trials Unit is one component of the Immunology Center at The Miriam Hospital, a member of the nonprofit Lifespan health care system and an affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The center provides comprehensive patient care and clinical research to help patients with HIV live longer, fuller lives. To learn more, visit www.miriamhospital.org.